


Between the three of us

by DarthWriter



Series: Things always come in threes [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: ALL of them need a hug, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, I think?, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Not Canon Compliant, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Very Sad Attempt at Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:22:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22760911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthWriter/pseuds/DarthWriter
Summary: Sequel to "Between the two of us" — Just a bunch of random chapters...Do not read if you haven't read the first part. It won't make any sense.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Things always come in threes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636393
Comments: 89
Kudos: 112





	1. Coming home

It took all but two days for Steve to pack his bag and return to the Tower. It was such a relief then. It felt dizzying at first, feeling _that_ good to be back. He even wondered why he hadn't come back sooner but the distance, the separation and, most of all, time had been a necessary thing he supposes. 

Tony welcomed him back warmly. It was a relief for him too, part of him still considers Steve as his omega. Even if the word has always felt strange on his tongue.

Bucky wanted Steve to move back into his old apartment floor. He suggested to move out with Felicia. It broke Steve's heart to force them out. He was fine just anywhere in this tower. As long as he was back home, with the pack, and close to Tony. He just settled down in one of the guest apartment.

After a week, however—and a lot of insisting on Bucky's part—Steve moved back into his and Bucky's nest. It made sense. Omegas need the proximity, they need the protective warmth and kindness of their nest, especially when one of them has pups. Steve understands now how lonely and desperate Bucky must have felt when he was left on his own to take care of Felicia. Omegas are supposed to help and support each other in those moments, they need that safety around them, the love and affection, especially when giving birth. Steve should have been there for them. And now he was.

Tony was very distant at first but living together did all of them good. It felt right, being back here. The festering stopped and the damaged skin around his gland started to heal. After a week already, it looked rather like a bluish bruise with purple shades. It didn't hurt that much. After three weeks Steve was completely healed. His gland had recovered its round and rosy aspect and pulsated softly whenever Tony entered the room. His heart beat fast as well, and a wave of thrilling warmth pooled in his stomach, but he kept it to himself mostly. None of them was ready. Steve wasn't even sure if they would ever. What was important now was for the pack to find some kind of cohesion again. It was important for them, and for Felicia, to be strong and united.

Tony was regaining colors by the day. Bucky and Steve had insisted the three of them should eat three meals a day on a daily basis. Tony knew better than argue against two serum-enhanced omegas. He quickly put on weight and his features softened and relaxed with time. He finally looked alive.

After four weeks Clint started coming back regularly. After six weeks everyone came back to live there. And everyone made a point to spend as much time together as they could. They were rarely on their own and Bucky was smiling a lot. And Steve's friends got to know him, the real him, the carefree and social guy he had always been.

Steve was the one keeping some distance. He was observing everyone interacting. It felt necessary to keep away and stay in the background, necessary to understand what went wrong, what he had missed. He imagined that was what Bucky had done when he first arrived here and the thought made his heart clench.

Steve had been a little apprehensive, at first, to see his best friend and his alpha around each other—knowing what they shared now—but actually, seeing the two of them interact made him happy.

Overtime they have developed a strong connection based on trust, mutual respect, communication and a lot of tenderness. It involves a lot of submission on Bucky's part but Steve has realized quite quickly that Bucky needs this just as much, if not more, as Tony does. It makes sense in a way, Bucky has been forced on his knees for more than seventy years of his life. Twice Steve's age. A third of his life. It makes sense that it would bring him a sense of safety in the routine.

Steve was a bit unsettled at the beginning. It was all very discreet. It was made of little marks of affection, of loving gazes, of stolen smiles and knowing stares... Bucky constantly kept a worried eye on Tony when he wasn't all focused on his daughter. He talked to him softly with a caring and soothing voice. He always made sure he didn't need anything and made a point to provide for everything Tony wanted. Everything Tony let him provide for, anyway—which wasn't a lot, in fact, but it was still more than what Steve had ever shown Tony.

Bucky and Tony had been licking each other's wounds and found some balance in their relationship. Bucky was giving Tony things Steve would have never been capable to offer and, somehow, he was glad that someone could. Tony deserved it. 

None of it was sexual though. They were two people who had gotten used to each other and had grown fond of each other. Two people who were seeking in each other what they needed. It was both sad and beautiful in a sense. Steve had been shocked the first time he had seen the Omega at Tony's feet, nuzzling against his legs, but it made complete sense afterwards. He had stared at the scene bewildered and felt something warm spreading in his chest at the sight. He understood the need and the comfort of it. He understood that both of them needed this. He needed it too, but had never wanted to give in to the urge.

He wanted it now. He wanted everything. 

He had come to the realization that day, that they could do this. They could be happy, the three of them. He just needed Tony to see it too. He just needed to get his alpha back. 

Getting Tony back has been a slow and tenuous process. To be honest, Steve had no idea how to approach him and months passed. Felicia grew up and Bucky's cycle returned.

It took them about three months to get back to their former intimacy—Bucky and him. It was shy at first. Timid attempts and tentative touches. Mostly cuddling. Steve initiated it most go the time. A small caress on his knee or an innocent hand sliding across his lower back. Fingers brushing each other's hair. Noses nuzzling into each other's neck, trying to immerse themselves in each others' scents. Warm and soothing tongues licking each others' bonding glands. Bucky's pulsated too, not like Steve's. It wasn't burning , it wasn't desperately aching with need. But it was enough for him to get riled up every time Tony's scent lingered for too long. They were both seeking comfort, needing the touch, needing the warmth. They were just doing what all omegas do. In the quietness and privacy of their nest.

It's Bucky who kissed him first. They were watching a movie on their couch. Felicia was finally asleep. As soon as Bucky came back from the room he shared with his daughter, Steve pulled him by the hand and yanked him down on the couch next to him. Bucky startled and they both burst out laughing. They sat very close, rubbing their warm scents on each other. Bucky was hunched up, like he often was in this century. Steve had snuggled closer and brushed his knuckles on the Omega's knee. The slight touches turned into caresses and Steve was sliding up his thigh, fondling his hips and his waist. Bucky had turned his head to him and snuggled into his neck, blowing warm air against his sensitive skin, making him gasp and shiver. His fingers, soft and warm, reached Steve's bonding gland and he brush his thumb on it, sending jolts of electricity through his skin and down his spine. Steve gasped and Bucky nudged on his chin, turning his face slowly. Their mouths touched, drawn to one another like magnets. 

The kiss was soft, languorous. Bucky kissed his lips tenderly and slipped his mellow tongue inside, so sweet and gentle a touch. Steve moaned into his mouths and pulled him into his arms. They were both rock hard.

From then on the touches were bolder, more regular, more sensual. Both of them seeking more every time. Until they finally fucked.

This time it was Steve. He was back from a three days mission, giddy with the adrenaline. The separation from Tony unbearable again. When he sneaked back into the Tower in the middle of the night, the alpha scent was overwhelming. Steve felt dizzy, the smell so strong and heady. He staggered to his floor, seeking refuge in the safety of his nest. Bucky was there, standing at the sink, washing his hands. 

Their eyes met and they remained silent, standing still in the middle of the room. Bucky was so pretty in the moonlight, his hair was falling onto his forehead and his tall and muscular figure. Very manly. The same silhouette that had attracted him more than seventy years ago. Steve could only see a lewd glimmer in his eyes and his parted lips. The alpha scent was everywhere in the nest, permeated in the walls. 

He felt a shiver run down his spine and a flow of slick wet his pants. Bucky smelt it and his scent spiked. 

Steve doesn't remember well how it happened but he remembers that he found himself pushing Bucky against the wall and started grinding his hard-on against him hips. Bucky curled his arms around him and kissed him softly. Steve made the kiss eager and brutal, grabbing Bucky's hips. The Omega hanged onto his shoulders and wrapped his strong legs around his waist. Steve carried him to his bedroom, hands under his butt, clutching his asscheeks. 

They did a quick and desperate job at tearing each other's clothes off. Steve pushed Bucky down on his bed and climbed him. He had the sweet smell of a fertile Omega. Steve was so hard it hurt. He grabbed his ass and lay on top of him. Surreptitiously and surprisingly naturally, he slipped his cock inside the moist warmth of his body. Bucky whimpered and bit his neck. Steve pounded into him, feeling his own slick dripping down his thighs.

They took turns at fucking each other, rolling onto the bed and slipping each other's cocks into their sloppy, eager asses. It felt so good and so frustrating at the same time. They did it again and again, greedy and desperate. Something was missing.

When they had relieved enough of their pent-up frustration they both fell on their back and remained like this, silently catching their breath, close enough to feel each other's warmth but with enough distance so it wouldn't feel awkward between them.

After a moment Bucky sneezed and let out a sigh. "I want to be knotted." He just said, while scratching the inside of his thigh. Steve turned to him and stared at his profile. Bucky was looking at the ceiling with a pout on his lips.

"Me too." He whispered with a smile and they both laughed. 

"Life sucks." Bucky finally said before curling himself into a ball and snuggling against Steve.

They kept fucking after that. Not like before. Not everyday. More like, whenever it became too hard to be constantly around Tony without being able to get it from him. Sometimes because it simply felt good and comforting, sometimes because Bucky was pretty and his smile gave Steve warm and fuzzy feelings.

But every time something was missing. It was not enough, not fulfilling and insanely frustrating. 

By the time, Steve finally decided to do something about it and find some courage to talk to Tony—And he doesn't mean about the weather... Somehow, during those four months they had lived together since Steve had come back, they had never found the opportunity to talk things out. To _talk,_ period. They had rarely been alone together and things were still awkward between them. Tony was shifty—Bucky was about to go into heat.

That's the thing with suppressants, to make sure they work efficiently, you need to start taking them in the middle your heat. This meant another heat for Bucky before finally being free. This meant he would need an alpha. 

They talked about it, the three of them together, and this time Steve saw no objection and encouraged Tony to take care of it. He didn't want another stranger to hurt his friend. He felt no hard feeling or jealousy about it, strangely. He was already very surprised to be invited into the decision process. Bucky was Tony's Omega and he had legally every right on his life. Steve had absolutely no say in it, really, and didn't expect to, but they still involved him as if his opinion was crucial. Steve didn't make any objections. What truly bothered him, in fact, was that the decision didn't seem to rejoice either of them.

Bucky was sulky the day before, maybe because he was scared or apprehensive, Steve wasn't sure. Steve had pressed his hand on his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. It was strange how calm he felt at that moment when a year before his stomach churned with jealousy. What had changed? Steve wasn't really sure. Maybe he had. 

He sat down next to the Omega and whispered concernedly. "What's wrong?"

Bucky shrugged, looking into space, expression pensive.

"It's gonna be fine, you know?" Steve said. "You're gonna be with Tony this time. He will take good care of you."

Bucky snorted mirthlessly.

"You're not happy about it?" Steve enquired.

"Sharing your heat with your alpha should be a beautiful moment..." The Omega mumbled into his arms, huddled up on his knees. "Not something that needs to be done because there's no other choice."

The words struck Steve. He felt a shiver down his spine. Tony had always wanted to share a heat with him, Steve had blatantly refused. Never in his mind he had considered Bucky might have wanted it. 

"This just means Tony wants me under suppressant, so he wouldn't have to do this again."

Steve felt sorry for his friend but something in his heart clenched and it wasn't about Bucky.

"Back then you would have died rather than share you heat with an alpha." Steve scoffed in attempt to soothe the tension in the atmosphere. It didn't work.

"Back then I had all my life before me. I was free and full of hope. I was young and plenty of opportunities."

He wanted to say he was sorry but he didn't. He just settled for a hug and wrapped his arm around the Omega's shoulder silently.

Bucky's last heat lasted four days. Steve was in charge of looking after Felicia then. When it was over Bucky ran back to his daughter and locked himself in his room with her.

They didn't have sex for two weeks after that. 

Tony locked himself up in his workshop for three days in a row.

Steve felt nostalgic. He wanted Tony back. More than ever. It burnt at the pit of his stomach. It crept under his skin. It made his teeth grit.

His bonding gland still pulsated, more intensely than ever. Whoever thought it would fade was a fool, or a fucking asshole... The need to be with him had never been so strong.

He wanted his old life back. He wanted everything. He wanted. 

They couldn't go on like this. Someone needed to root out the evil. They really needed to talk. But he had the horrible, horrible feeling that he had missed his chances with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you feel like telling me what you thought... ;-)


	2. Living in a pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a random chapter that has nothing to do with the three of them...

She suddenly wakes up and feels her entire body burning.

She wants.

The smell of omega is everywhere around her, it's infuriating. She wasn't supposed to want. She wasn't supposed to feel this way. They made sure she never wanted. They made sure she forgot what she was, who she was and what she needed.

They made sure she wouldn't touch an omega. Ever. For years she had been nauseous every time she met one. For years she wanted to kill them or to hurt them. For years she had denied her instincts and forgotten.

And then she met Clint. And then she worked for SHIELD. And then she learnt compassion. Slowly, she has gotten used not to point a knife to every omega or alpha she met. Slowly she has remembered. She started feeling. Slowly she understood what was taken from her. A whole new world. A whole new perspective on life. A whole new prospect. Learning to be alpha again wasn't an easy path to take. Learning to be around omegas was even more of an ordeal, but she did it. 

And although she wouldn't trust herself around one in heat, by the time she met Steve she was absolutely fine. She could control herself, every impulse, every urge she felt. She was simply not interested. She knew she was broken somehow but it didn't matter. She didn't need anything and she didn't missed it. She was fine.

The first time Steve's scent bothered her was when he met Stark for the first time. His scent suddenly became intensely penetrating and she felt like murdering him.

She always felt safer around betas. Although, being around Stark when she studied him felt appeasing. It was just a feeling at first, something she hadn't dwell on then. It became much stronger when she decided to live in the tower. For the first time she felt it. For the first time she understood what it meant being in a pack. This sense of belonging she had never felt before. She had underestimated the power of their instincts. They all had. With Tony, she finally grasped what it truly meant to be alpha. She learnt through him, from him—from living next to him, under his protection. She learnt from his mistakes as well.

That's the thing with Stark. He may be a freaking genius capable of creating new elements and crazy apocalyptic AI but he's completely oblivious to whatever is in front of him. He has always been, sadly. He's probably never realized just how strong he is. He's never realized that a whole pack has formed under his protective aura, despite himself. He's never realized he met his soul mate. He's completely oblivious and hasn't got a clue. It's infuriating. 

Natasha has been a witness of the Stony drama for years. She knew it was a matter of time before Steve came back. She also knows it's just a matter of time before things settles back to their places.

But fuck, it's taking too fucking long.

Tony and her have learnt how to be alpha together. He didn't have much clue about it either. It all took them by surprise, this pack thing. A nice and comforting surprise, though. The kind that you never expected, that surrounds you protectively like a warm and gentle embrace. 

It felt home and safe and comforting. Especially with two omegas in the pack. And the pup was just a blessing. The cement of that pack. Natasha felt home for the first time in her life. 

Well, that was... _before._

Now her home has become unbearable and living here is just intolerable. It's driving her nuts. The omegas belong to the pack alpha and as a lower-ranked alpha, she was fine. She wasn't supposed to take care of them. She would only take what Tony agreed to grant her and that was fine with her. Perfect even. That's all she wanted. Her peace and quiet, and most of all, someone who would keep the omegas away from her. 

She knew Tony wouldn't fail her. 

Except Tony is a dummy. A stupid hopeless knucklehead alpha who is just as blind as a bat. He's so oblivious it's sad. Sad and pathetic. He has two omegas and can't even be bothered to fuck them. He's so busy wallowing in self-pity he doesn't even _see._ He can't see what is just strikingly obvious, so much it hurts your eyes.

He can't even see that they just want one fucking thing: be put on their knees and knotted. They both shake and start purring each time Tony crosses their path. And their horny, desperate honey-spiced scents spread around the tower, arousing, entrancing, _maddening._ The stench infuses and pervades. The tension is palpable and infuriating. She can't stand it anymore, it's driving her crazy. She can't even touch them. Their scent is marked and owned, besides she never wanted to touch either them anyway. She just wants her peace and quiet. She wasn't supposed to want. She wasn't supposed to _feel._ It's a whole new side of her that is awakening and it's the scariest thing of all. 

What has she done to deserve such a lousy pack alpha? One who can't even do something as stupidly simple as submitting his omegas, restore the peace and make everyone happy and fulfilled. Him and his fucking theories about wanting to dominate his instincts. If he just stopped trying to rationalize things, for once. If he just stopped trying to intellectualize something that was just purely instinctive and vital to their survival and their well-being. 

Unknotted bonded omegas are a plague. Their constant arousal is spreading like wildfire, driving everyone insane. Not that either of them are really bonded, which actually makes things worse. Their scents spike, programmed to lure the Alpha and make them mark them.

Now she is turning into a slave too. Slave to her instincts. Slave to the two omegas' scents that fill her home with their ~~luscious~~ _nauseous_ perfumes. Murderous thoughts are coming back.

It's only three'o clock in the morning and no omega has trespassed in her den but somehow she can smell the remnants of their exquisitely lewd scents lingering on her clothes. It steams her up. She's on fire.

She turns on her stomach and slips her hand between her legs. The pressure feels good and unnerving. She hates herself a little but she gives in. It's only after the fifth time that she finally falls asleep on her bed, satisfied.

The next day she wakes up angry and later than usual. The scent is somehow still present. Everywhere. Unbearable.

She goes straight to the training room to relieve some pent-up frustration. And stops right there, at the entrance. Paralyzed. She wasn't the only one who needed to relieve some frustration apparently. The stench is strong and violates her noise. Sweet and warm and cosy, spicy and aroused, untamed and frustrated. Enchanting and riling up. It reeks of lascivious omega everywhere. Steve and James are sparring, rolling around each other on the mat, rousing each other up.

It's simply unendurable. 

It takes her a moment to feel the presence behind her. It's the voice that snaps her out of her reveries. "You okay, Nat?" Clint says. 

She growls and shows her teeth unintentionally. She needs to leave, immediately. She swivels on her feet and strides out of the room, grabbing Clint by the shirt. He stumbled back and let himself be dragged away, knowing better than trying to protest right now.

Natasha drags him to her den and shoves him on the bed. Maybe a glimpse of something terrified ran across his eyes but she isn't really sure. "What's happening?" He says while looking around the bed like a lost puppy. 

Natasha takes off her top and Clint opens wide lustful eyes to her. "Me. You. Fuck. Now." She growls and she feels the fire spreading down in the pit of her stomach. Indomitable. "Okay?"

Clint looks perplex maybe, though she is too far gone to analyze his feelings right now. "Errr. Yeah. Okay." He mumbles. "You sure?"

Natasha growls as an answer and leaps on the bed like a wild beast, mounting the confused beta. She kisses him and it's brutal and urgent. She bites and tears and knocks. Clint groans and moans into her mouth, completely swiped away by her ferocity. "Are we really doing this, Nat? After all those years..."

She growls again and tears off his shirt. Then, she leans against him and bends her head over to his ear. "Can I knot you?" She asks in a desperate whisper. 

Clint hauls himself in a jerk. Expression slightly terrified, to be honest. "Errr... Can we talk about it first?"


	3. You and I are all that matters

He has two omegas. 

Two gorgeous, serum-enhanced, super horny omegas. They are _his,_ both of them. They live in his house, they're part of his pack, they belong to him. Their scents belong to him, their bonding glands pulsate for him, they both submit to him and it is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Perfect. A blessing. A gift from the gods—or whatever is out there, deciding for him. 

Omegas are a miracle of life. Their soothing voices so enchanting and their lavish, comforting scents intoxicate and send you to heaven each time you get a whiff. His omegas are gorgeous. They are more. They are perfection. Each of them, in their own way. James's mysterious blue eyes charm him in dangerous ways. Steve's soft and protective ones ground him and open doors for him and pull down the sky and the entire galaxy, to offer it to him. Tony feels dizzy at the thought.

Having two omegas is a marvelous thing. Every alpha's wet dream. He is one of the lucky ones, he supposes. So few of them are left now. How could he ask for more? He has achieved fulfillment and complete happiness. His life is bliss...

It _should_ be bliss, at least.

Probably.

Someone said something like this once.

He has two omegas. Two gorgeous and horny omegas. This is amazing, isn't it? They sway their hips every time he is in the same room. They infuse their delicious and manipulative scents everywhere around him. Their scents spike every time he comes close and every time he looks them in the eyes, he can see the lust in them. He always gets lost in the infinity of their blue eyes. He can see their lips part and their knees falter with the need to submit and it's overwhelming. 

He can't step outside of his workshop without being attacked by their bewitching scents. So strong it is suffocating. He chokes on it. Sometimes he wakes up at night and can't even breathe. 

This is a fucking _nightmare._

He has two omegas, begging to take his knot, and he _doesn't_ fuck them. 

He has two omegas and they fuck each other.

And then they spread their nasty honey-spiced scent everywhere, taunting. 

He has two omegas and it is _not_ a blessing. Not at all. It's a _curse._

He doesn't deserve two omegas. He doesn't even deserve one and he certainly doesn't deserve their submission. He's a lousy alpha. Not strong enough, not good enough—just not _enough_ —for them.

He has two omegas and instead of protecting them he hurt them.

He has two amazing omegas and he failed them, both of them.

They still want him somehow. He doesn't know how or why or what but he can smell it in their scents, he can see it in their eyes, he can _feel_ it. But he can't.

He has two omegas and he doesn't know what to do. He is lost and he has lost to them a long time ago. The moment they were down on his knees Tony was doomed. They keep manipulating him with their treacherous submission. They make his head spin with their pernicious scents. They're driving him crazy. He doesn't know how he can continue living with them like this, and keep his sanity.

First there is James—or Bucky, he isn't sure anymore. James is perfect. His melancholic grayish blue eyes are shining with admiration. His submission is given freely. His loyalty is boundless. He manages the house and their daughter with a fastidious attention that is almost scary. He looks after him with tender loving care, tends to his every need. He has been there for him when Tony was digging the bottom. He has pulled him out, slowly. He soothed the pain. He made sure he ate. He was just there and he gave him love and affection, everything.

Because he didn't have a choice.

And he's still there for the same reason. He doesn't have a choice. On paper, James belongs to him. His life belongs to him. His death belongs to him. His well-being belongs to him, his misery as well. Whoever wrote those fucking laws, Tony pukes on their graves. Whoever still enforce those laws today, he despises them from the bottom of his heart and soul.

There was a moment in Tony's life. A glimpse of happiness, during which he almost thought that he could make him happy. He liked to think he was a decent person. He liked to think he was modern and open-minded. He liked to think he could make it happen. 

How wrong could he be? No matter how pretty the jail is, this is still prison. No matter how long the rope is, it is still around his neck. They could pretend, oh yes they could. They did.

They do. 

James is gorgeous and Tony really wishes he could fuck him the way he deserves to be fucked. But he can't. He wishes he could love him the way he deserved to be loved. And he can't.

He doesn't even know if that's what James wants, anyway. At the back of his mind he will always wonder. Does he laugh because I'm his alpha, or because I'm funny? Does he care because I'm his alpha? Or because he loves me? If he smiles like this? Is smiling to me? Or to his master?

Every time Tony looks at him he can only see the invisible shackles around his neck and his wrists. James is here, with him, taking care of him because he doesn't have anywhere else to go, because without him he's nothing and no-one and he doesn't deserve a life. If he makes sure Tony eats everyday it's because they have daughter and Felicia bounds them for the rest of their lives in a way that neither of them can escape.

This is maybe the only he doesn't regret in his fucking life. Being a parent wasn't part of his plan but it's certainly one of the most beautiful thing that happened to him. 

Still, that doesn't change the facts. James is locked up. In a luxurious prison, admittedly, but a prison nevertheless. And James loves him, surely he does. He accommodates. Maybe he aspires to a semblance of life. Loving the man who keeps you captive, loving the sire of your pup, really seems like the easiest thing to do. 

Tony can't even look at him without thinking about everything that happened between them. How Barnes became James and James became Jamie and Jamie became Bucky. Would Bucky have consented then? If he had been himself?

That's is the kind of alpha Tony is. One that takes advantage of a lost and disoriented omega. One that takes advantage of someone who doesn't have any rights. Someone weakened and That's the kind of person he is. A despicable human being. A scum. He hates himself.

And he hates himself even more when he knows James doesn't look at him like that, because he has accepted. And that's maybe the worst of it. 

James wants him, or his knot. Or both, maybe, who know?

He simply can't anyway. He can't because every time he does, the ugly truth is screaming at Tony's face. All the truth. The depth of their viciousness.

He can't anymore because all he can see when James is too close is Steve's crestfallen face on that day he swapped their names. The pain of betrayal distorting Steve's beautiful features. A reflection of Tony's ugliness and depravity. The day Tony finally realized how despicable he was.

He doesn't deserve any of this. It makes him sick in the stomach, thinking about it.

He won't ever touch James again. He can't. Spending his last heat with him was the best the could do. A necessary thing to do as his alpha—on paper and in life—which still left a bitter taste on his mouth. Both of them came out of this even more broken than they already were.

He couldn't even do that simple thing right. Make James feel wanted and home.

He's a failure. A sad excuse for an alpha and for a human being.

James—or whoever he is—deserved better. They both do.

Steve does, too. Steve deserves the world. And if Tony had an ounce of courage under his rotten skin he would grab it for him. For Steve... For Steve if he wasn't so vile and disgraceful. If he wasn't so lame. He would have done anything for Steve once. 

He can't anymore. He has lost the right. 

Steve. Beautiful Steve. Brilliant Steve. Steve, the man of his life. His soulmate. Free and untamed Steve. Perfect Steve. The sunlight in a room. The oxygen in the air. The pure water springing out of a mountain, bringing life all around.

Steve was everything Tony ever wanted and he loved him more than his own life. He still does. 

Steve... Steve who hurt him more than one can bear, Steve whom _he_ hurt more than one can bear.

Steve was everything to him and he betrayed him. He betrayed his trust. He betrayed his love. He ruined everything, ruined their future and their past, destroyed everything good they had. 

It doesn't matter that Steve came back. He always does. It doesn't matter, now, that Steve smiles beautifully to him. It doesn't matter that he submits just like a docile omega, just Tony has always secretly wished from him. Tony isn't a fool as to ever trust Steve's submission again. Every time he went down on his knees, Tony was double slapped with the back of his hand. Tony never truly wanted him on his knees anyway. Steve was always too grand for this. He is a free spirit and shall never be put in a cage.

None of this matters now. Everything is broken. Broken to the point even _he_ can't fix it. Steve may stay or leave again. Who knows?

He might as well leave tomorrow for all Tony cares. He doesn't have enough strength in him to care anymore. He has lost his right to care. He is worn out, anyway. Whoever said omegas were a blessing is a fucking asshole! 

Two omegas is a living hell. They're gonna be the death of him.

Surely they will and he will welcome death with open arms. A sweet relief.

Peace and quiet. 

Finally.

He can't breathe anymore.

He jerks his eyes open. He still can't breath. He is suffocating. He screams and no sound comes out. It's not the hands it's the weight of guilt, strangling him to death. He sucks in a deep and harsh breath. He looks around, at his empty bed. He used to always have the warmth of an omega in it. 

That was months ago. 

Now he has a daughter. And she needs him.

When he comes down to the nest to see Felicia, Steve is the one holding her in his arms. He's natural with her. He raises her just like one of his own and it's absolutely marvelous to observe. The nest smells safety and comfort. A warm and welcoming shelter for his little Felicia who is overprotected by two omegas.

Tony's treacherous heart skips at the sight of Steve's radiant smile, warming and illuminating his daughter's face like a godly ray of light. She smiles back and looks up at him, fascinated by the faces he's making her. She laughs and he laughs and the sound is so warm it almost ignites a sparks from the cold stone weighing dead in Tony's chest.

In another life maybe Tony will be able to love Steve the way he deserves to be loved. For now he's just waiting for the moment Steve leaves again and never comes back. Tony isn't sure he will be able to survive this time. Yet, he says that every time and so far, he has survived. He probably will die again and resuscitate when Steve comes back, again. Tony must be a cat, endowed with nine miserable lives. Hopefully he's living his ninth one now.

He walks to them and resists the urge to splay his fingers on Steve's broad back and to slide it down his spine to the curve of his hips. The scent is so heady it is dizzying. What has he done to deserve such a punishment? All he wants to do now is wrap his hands around Steve's chest and rest his head on his back, inhaling a deep breath of his delicious smell and closing his eyes and then he wants to fall asleep there. And possibly never wake up. 

Steve's smile softens when he senses Tony's presence behind him. The Omega is open and welcoming and Tony is so close he can feel the warmth emanating from his body like a comforting lullaby. Steve swivels slowly and their eyes meet. His smile is ravishing. Tony's heart skips again but he ignores it. For a moment they stand there, staring into each other's eyes without a word or a motion. Tony feels goosebumps all over his skin.

"Hey Daddy!" Steve finally says with his warm and languid voice, before he drops Felicia into his arms. She stretches her arms to him and he catches her and holds her tight, inhaling a deep breathe of her scent. She smells so good and it is relaxing after the pressure Steve's spiced up omega scent put on his nerves. At this moment, he wishes for her to never be an alpha. This is all but torture. 

Tony ignores the sparkle of electricity he felt at the simple touch with Steve. He ignores also the way Steve's face turned lewd for a fraction of a second, and the way his scent sweetened. He focuses on his daughter's babbling instead. Felicia is all that matters in his life. Everything else is swept aside from his brain and from his heart. 

For a moment he manages to forget about Steve's overwhelming presence in the room, until he hears another voice. Less deep, less grounding. More mischievous, burning like a sweet fire. His chuckle just as biting. It is not any less enslaving. 

Tony unconsciously raises his eyes and meets the impish sparkles in his grayish blues, scintillating through his brown that falls over-sensually onto his forehead. James's smile is playful and his mouth in curled up higher on one side, forming a cute dimple on his cheek. He is walking straight over to him and for a split second, Tony feels like a wolf is about to jump on him and bite his neck. The two omega scents mingle into something aggressive and enrapturing. Both scary and dizzying at the same time. James rushes to him and brush his shoulders against Tony's, marking him with his own scent. Then, he nuzzles into his neck, softly, affectionately, and kisses his daughter's forehead. Tony wants to curl his arm around his waist and hold him tight against him but he refrains because Steve is staring at them, a fond smile on his lips and tenderness in his burning eyes. Something clenches in Tony's chest.

Something melancholic like regrets or the nostalgia of possibles never attempted.

"I'm going to the pool." James says with a soft and sensual voice. "Watch over her?" His eyes shine with something malicious and his hand lingers on Tony's shoulder, warm and penetrating. "I'm heading out." He says before Tony could answer.

Steve smiles, looking at him sidelong. He is leaning against the back of the couch, arms crossed on his huge chest, and chuckles softly, expression amused. 

Why do they keep tormenting him?

Steve doesn't speak a word. Instead he goes to his room. 

"Aren't you gonna go?" Tony asks.

"I live here, don't I?" He says with a voice full of innuendoes. 

Fair enough.

It is relatively peaceful during the rest of the morning. Tony looks after Felicia. She is amazing. She learns things so quickly. Tony is almost sure she said "Papà."

"In your dreams, Daddy." Steve joked from the window where he was sitting in front of a canvas on an easel. A gift from Tony. His tone was amused and his eyes were playful. And God he was beautiful with the sunlight reflecting on his blond hair. 

When James comes back, three hours have passed. Three hours of happiness. Tony hasn't realized it but he had never been so relaxed since Steve had left. Steve's scent, the treacherous, had soothed him and eased him into a sense of well-being despite himself. 

He hated being trapped like that.

James brushes his lips on Tony's cheek—he smells refreshed and energetic and so good he makes Tony's head spin—and takes a sleeping Felicia from her sire's arms to put her into bed.

Tony rushes outside, before he does another thing he regrets. Plus, he needs jerking off. Three hours non-stop of Steve's spellbinding scent and the small touch was enough.

Things don't go as easy as he has planned however and Steve follows him outside. And he grabs his arm. And Tony gasps and freezes, internally freaking out.

"Tony wait."

He doesn't dare turn back. "What?" He replies curtly.

"I've wanted to talk to you but you were so busy with Felicia..."

The tension in his body eases. It must be Steve's manipulative scent again. "What do you want to talk about?" He remains in his position however, not ready yet, to face the blue of his eyes.

"Bucky and I have been talking." Steve says with his incomparable Captain America voice. Tony feels shivers and finally turns back to look at him. The words sound ominous. He frowns before he realizes Steve's stance is not as confident as it sounded. He looks nervous and wavers on his feet, wiping his clammy hands on his jeans. "and we think—" Tony widens his eyes, listening attentively to that grand idea both his omegas have come up with now. "—that you need to get laid."

It happens despite himself. He bursts out laughing. 

It doesn't even sound right. It's ugly and bitter and he's still hard anyway. Why do they keep tormenting him?

"I'm fine with my right hand thanks, besides, I've had plenty of sex lately. Remember? Four days of an orgy. Really, I'm sated. And if wasn't... it's not like it's any of your business anyway."

Steve's smile falters and something dark and forlorn tenses his soft features. He looks down. Just like he should never. Tony hates himself.

"You're not having sex with anyone else, Tony. Stop pretending like you do." Steve sound grave suddenly, and perceptive. And so much better a person than Tony ever was. Steve has forgiven him. He still hasn't. Nor him, neither himself.

He's not sure he can.

Shit.

The pressure of Steve's hand on his arm relaxes and he slips his clammy hand into Tony's. "I miss you, Tony. I miss us."

Shit.

He had sworn to himself. Sworn to himself he would never fall into their honeytrap. Yet something in him wanted to fall willingly. As deep as he could.

He shivers from head to toe and feels jolts of electricity run down his spine to the tip if his—rock hard—cock. All his senses are going haywire. And Steve's intense gaze is staring at him relentlessly.

"I can't." He mutters, voice trembling a little.

Steve drops his hand. He runs for it.


	4. Finally reaching peace of mind

Steve didn't stop. 

After that first move they both felt awkward around each other for a few days but then Steve actively tried to change that. It all started with a doodle.

A cartoon Iron Man sulking and tapping his foot on the floor energetically and a cartoon Captain America on his knees, hands in a prayer, imploring him with large droopy eyes and a balloon reading: "Sorry."

Tony did smile at the joke for a moment—Steve is a little shit—and wondered how the Omega could have managed to draw his pouty face so well on a doodle but then Captain America's position, though innocent in that drawing, reminded him too much of why they were all miserable. Maybe that was Steve ironizing about the situation, and frankly, knowing him that wouldn't be a surprise, but in the end, all he felt was an acute pain in his chest.

Steve didn't stop at this though. He's a persistent guy.

The next day there was another doodle. Another cartoon Captain America making funny faces and the word _CAN_ written in big letters at the top. The next day it was a different face and the word _WE,_ and the next, the word _TALK?_

They all came in different fashion, the doodles. Once, it was put on his threshold, once slipped surreptitiously in his pocket, a few times it was brought on with his lunch tray. But _always_ unexpected. 

Each time they have made Tony smile for a little longer.

After the _CAN WE TALK?_ series came the roses. Red. Beautiful. Smelling like love. One for each day, rolled into a funny doodle. At the end of the week, Tony had a full bouquet in his living room and felt a lot lighter that he had been for a while. He decided he was finally ready to talk.

So when it came this morning—the invitation—wrapped up in a beautifully decorated envelope with three roses this time, two big and one small, Tony didn't immediately freak out. Time was right, he supposed. 

Now, though, he is full-on freaking out. 

He is standing in front of the nest, staring at the door. And for the first time in months he doesn't dare come inside. Something stops him from entering. Something like modesty, or shame, he isn't sure.

With a shaky hand, he finally pushes the knob down. He purposely didn't announce himself, not wanting to be overwhelmed by his family waiting excitedly for him behind the door. 

He steps inside, silently, mentally preparing himself for this. When he is finally inside, he isn't submerged by the cloud of omega scents, for once. The atmosphere is rather peaceful in fact, like a warm and welcoming home.

No-one's at the door and he gets used to the smell pretty quickly, as if he was always meant to be here. He expects James to come any second and he roams around slowly, touching nervously the furniture as if it was the first time he came. The tips of his fingers brush the wood delicately, the feeling of the material enhanced on his sensitive skin. He focuses on the defects that make the product all the more authentic. His heart starts racing. Panic surreptitiously taking over his brain. What was he thinking coming down here? The two omegas are going to be the end of him. If not today then soon. 

It's not James who snaps him out of his reveries, nor Felicia. It's Steve.

The scent is sudden. Sweet and heady, overwhelming. Very much _Steve._ The two omegas are so close to each other that their scents have started to mingle to the point it's become almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. Lately Tony feels like he doesn't really know their scents anymore. It's just a whiff of seductive omega smell. Today though he can smell Steve. Only Steve. The scent so vivid and intoxicating, just like the first time they met. 

A whirlwind of emotions submerges him. Memories and unresolved feelings. Steve was the love of his life once. His heart skips and he turns around slowly, discovering Steve's bight smile as he swivels on his feet. 

Their eyes meet. His heart skips again and he remains speechless. Steve is absolutely gorgeous in his three pieces dark blue suits. Everything about him is gorgeous. His broad figure. His handsome face. The infinite blue of his eyes, beautiful and warm like a summer sky. His smile, coy and mischievous at the same time. His square jaw so powerful. His expression so strong and vulnerable. The determination in his eyes. 

Tony feels the need to push him down on his knees, conflicted as to keep admiring how beautiful and proud Steve is for a little while longer or to give in to his urges and submit the untamed omega. He represses the feeling, ignoring the spike of electricity that run through his body and the overwhelming natural excitement he feels at the sight of his omega. 

Instead he looks down at himself, at his casual pair of khakis and loafers, and nervously pulls on his jumper. He looks like an old man. Tony never thought he could ever be underdressed but he obviously misunderstood something. There's a first time for everything he guesses. He feels a bit confused though.

"I...err. You're gorgeous." 

It came out on its own. He feels his cheeks heat but it might only be the reflexion of the delicious blush creeping on Steve's face as he looks away embarrassedly, a wide smile on his lips.

"You too." The omega says while looking at him sideways, staring inconspicuously. 

Tony isn't. He looks like shit. He hasn't shaved for days and he has dark bags under his eyes. His grayish hair unkempt and tousled, still wet from the shower he just took after spending the day in his workshop. He still has grease under his nails. 

Steve's hands land on his hips and he gazes more openly at him, face flushed and a shy smile. A happy smile. 

Steve is happy. Tony can see it. He can feel it, he can _smell_ it. The omega scent is joyful, appeased and full of hope, filled with unconditional love and unabashed lust. How can Steve still want him?

He lets himself be surrounded however, the smell so comforting, enveloping him in a sweet and soft embrace.

He looks at Steve again and wonders why James and Felicia still haven't come out. It is quite late anyway. Tony never thought they would be going out but looking at Steve he was obviously mistaken. 

"Where is Felicia?" He says hesitantly.

"Sleeping."

"Oh... but—"

"It's just me and you, today."

Steve has a hand on his hip and shifts his weight on one leg, revealing a glimpse of his thin waist perfectly highlighted by the gray waistcoat he is wearing under the dark blue jacket of his suit. A peculiar choice of color but very sexy nonetheless. It suits Steve perfectly. Everything does. 

Tony feels unwanted lust swelling inside and his heart starts racing. He tries to ignore it.

"We need to talk, Tony." Steve continues, voice deep, low in his throat. His tone slightly commanding. 

Who is he to refuse?

Steve pops another rose—red—out of nowhere and brushes the petals softly on Tony's face. 

Tony knows he is blushing. The incongruity of it, the unexpectedness. Steve's eyes glint with something both tender and mischievous. He's handing the rose to him. 

"You need to stop this." Tony says embarrassedly. 

"Why? You don't like roses?"

Tony loses his words, caught off guard. "That's not the point."

"What's the point then?" Steve continues, voice slightly hoarse, sounding amused but with a twinge of hurt underneath. "Not enough alpha-like for you?"

Tony's mouth opens on its own, gaping like a fish. "That's not what I said."

Steve chuckles and looks down, stepping back a little. "I thought red roses were a symbol of love." 

"They are." Tony mutters hesitantly, voice hoarse and words stuck in his throat. 

"That's exactly what I meant them to say."

Tony pinches his lips and looks at himself again, heart wavering, as stable as a man standing on a board in the middle the raging sea. He feels himself fall. "I..." He hesitates. "I didn't think it would only be the two of us, didn't even think we would actually go out." He admits embarrassedly, pulling on his clothes again, as some kind of explanation for his poor appearance.

"You look fine." Steve says. "I like you just the way you are." And it sounds so blunt and genuine it unsettles him. 

"You're very handsome tonight," is the only thing Tony can say as a reply, at the risk of sounding corny.

Steve blushes anyway. 

He chuckles embarrassedly, looking away again and stares right back into Tony's eyes. "You know in five years," he says softly, but eyes determined, "we've never been on a date. Not even once." Tony stares up at him surprisedly with a curious expression. Steve's biting his bottom lip nervously. "And it's my fault. It's probably my fault." The omega continues. "I want to fix that."

Tony opens his eyes wide. Something happens. 

For a moment he forgets about everything else. He forgets about Felicia. About James. About the betrayal, about the hurt. It's only him, and Steve. Just like it used to be. No. Nothing like it used to be. It never was so honest, so open and genuine between them. For a moment he can feel Steve's heart beating in unison with his own. Connected forever. For a moment he can feel what Steve feels and he stares at the pulsating gland on his neck, wondering if it's only his imagination or if he can really feel the sweet burning pain throbbing on his own neck. 

Steve may look confident but he isn't. He's terrified, laying bare in front of him, attempting everything. Tony can feel everything. And he could lie to himself and pretend but there's never been so much honesty and so much vulnerability in Steve's eyes before. 

It's not a sex thing. It's everything _but_ that. It's not about sex or about submission. It's just everything. 

Steve's stance waver at Tony's silence, losing composure as the minutes go by. Tony can feel it, as pure and strong as polished vibranium, the bond that unites both of them. 

"Sure." He lets out with a trembling voice. "I'll come on a date with you."

Steve's smile is shy but genuinely happy. Tony feels him relax and he regains confidence. He offers him his forearm, very old-fashionedly, and Tony takes it with amusement dancing on his lips. If Steve insists they reverse the roles then, sure, Tony will play it out. He's never felt so unaffected by his short size before. Steve does that. Steve always had the power to take the moon down for him. And tonight Tony was ready to be handed the moon.

Date night happens in a classy jazz bar. A muffled 1950s atmosphere with red carpets, leather seats and subdued lights. The decoration is swanky and elegant, understated but sophisticated. Tony is definitely underdressed for the venue but somehow he doesn't care much. He's just a little surprised at the choice. 

A stilted waiter wearing a black tuxedo walks them to their table—right in front of the live band. They have the best view to enjoy the show but it doesn't matter because Steve is only looking at him, his gaze expectant, and nothing around them matters.

"People are smoking cigars in here." Tony notices astoundedly.

Steve laughs softly. "It's the only place I've found in Brooklyn that offers a 1940s ambiance but maybe I'm still not that good with the internet." 

Tony smiles at him and looks at the small creases at the corners of his eyes. Steve has aged, he realizes, and he is now in his thirties, an accomplished man who knows what he wants and takes it.

A surge of admiration swells in his heart. A melancholic twinge. Steve is so very handsome in his three pieces suit, smiling impishly. 

"It's not like I'm at risk of having lung problems." Steve adds, looking away. Another flush coloring his cheeks.

"And it's not like I bother." Tony adds with a reassuring smile. The choice of venue is peculiar but it suits Steve. It suits both of them. "Why a jazz club though?" He asks nonchalantly, trying to make conversation more than out of real curiosity. 

Steve blushes again and chuckles embarrassedly. "It's also a dance club." He says. "I do expect you to teach me how to dance at some point." He explains. "I've been promised that back in the forties and never got the chance in the end. I've kind of hoped you would do it instead." 

Tony laughs and for the first time in a long while, it's light and genuine. "Sure. But you do realize this is a very public place, right?" 

"Yeah, I do. Does it matter?"

"No." Tony rushes to answer, feeling a little caught off guard. Steve never wanted to go public before. Actually he made a point of hiding Tony from the rest of the world as his dirty little secret. "Not at all."

Drinks happen. Dinner happens. Posh and overpriced. Tony is feeling tipsy, his head spinning with too much alcohol. It's making him smile too easily. Steve drank just as much but he shouldn't be affected and yet, his face is flushed, cheeks rosy and smile a little too bright, a little too seductive. It must be his scent. Or that deep connection he's been feeling since Steve asked him out. Or something more, maybe the steady pulsation throbbing in his neck, mirroring the pulse of Steve's bonding gland. Maybe it's the heady and muffled atmosphere of the club, the smell of cigars mingled with alcohol and omega scent. Or the music, sensual and mesmerizing. 

Tony forgets about everything that is not Steve or Steve's smile or Steve's seductive laugh or Steve's broad shoulders and for the first time he's enjoying himself freely. Not once the purpose of them going on a date together comes up. 

It's only when they're hesitating over dessert that Steve finally breaches the subject and it comes out of nowhere, at the most unexpected moment.

"I still want you." The omega blurts out as Tony is pondering tasting the banana split, or not.

Tony raises his eyes from behind the menu. "I know." He says gravely, the light mood between them gone in an instant. Believe him, he knows. And suddenly the crestfallen face of Steve comes back from the back of his mind until it's the only thing Tony can see. Everything he had forgotten just a minute ago comes back, crushing him under the weight of his own guilt.

"No. You don't." Steve insists.

"I can't even take a nap in my room without having the horny scents of the two of you messing with my head, Steve. So yeah I know what you want." A pang in his chest. A surge of blinding rage. All he can see now is the two of them fucking each other in their nest, just as fucked-up as his own mind can imagine it. And he has a wild imagination. He knows very well what they want, how they want it and why they want it and fuck no, he's not doing it. "Fuck you. I'm not a fucking dildo."

Steve laughs but it sounds a little sad. He looks away and shrugs. "I wish I could tell you that's not what we want but I'm not quite sure about Bucky." He says with an amused smile. "It might be exactly what he wants from you, really." His eyes are twinkling in the subdued light. "Not me though." He adds, tone suddenly serious and words meaningful. He stares right into Tony's eyes, so determined it's unsettling. "I've never considered you as a human dildo, Tony. It wasn't about sex with you, despite what you think. Not even at the beginning. It took me a while to realize it but from the very moment our eyes met, it was more than just lust and biological urges."

Tony chuckles bitterly but Steve's blue eyes are intent on him, unwavering. 

"I know that I didn't tell you enough and maybe it's my fault everything that's happened but—"

"It's not your fault and it doesn't matter who's responsible for it. It's happened and we can never go back."

Steve sighs, shoulders slumped in defeat. He pauses and looks away, expression forlorn. "No, we can't." He agrees. "But we can start over."

Tony stops, hand hanging in the air, and stares at him, wondering how serious he is. Pretty serious by the looks of it. His face is determined and expectant. "I'm not sure I can." Tony finally says softly. "And frankly I'm not sure that's fair on Bucky. I don't think that's what he really wants." 

"This is not about Bucky." Steve exclaims, a tinge of anger in his composed voice. "It's about us. I want _us_ back. The two of us. It's up to you then if you want to add Bucky in the picture or not." Tony stares at him confusedly. "And you're wrong about him, by the way. He cares about you. A lot."

Tony listens, heart beating fast. The conversation has turned really awkward really quickly and he didn't get the time to adjust. "He's in love with you." He whispers softly after a pause. 

"I know." Steve mutters, expression guilty. He looks away, pouting a little. "And I love him too, but I'm in love with _you,_ Tony." 

Tony raises skeptical eyebrows at him. 

"It's true." Steve insists, with a glimpse of forlorn hopelessness in his melancholic blue eyes. "I have been," he adds, looking away, lost in his thoughts, "for a long time."

Tony stares at him silently, lost for words. The smell of distress spiking in the omega's scent. It roils inside. It always riles him up, the smell of anxious omega.

"I'm not talking about your knot, Tony." Steve continues. "That's not the alpha I want. I'm _bonded_ to the alpha, but I'm in love with _you,_ with who _you_ are, regardless of your gender. And I _can_ live without you Tony, I can. I just don't want to anymore."

Tony chuckles bitterly, unable to process the sharp sincerity in Steve's voice. "You never wanted to submit." He says with a sad, melancholic smile.

"I've hated being omega. And yes, it used to enrage me this fucked-up situation that we're in but it's time we accept who we are, Tony. It's time for _me_ to accept and it's time for you too. Accept it, Tony. Accept me. Accept _us._ What's the point in struggling? We can't change our nature and my nature needs to submit to you and your nature needs to care for your omegas. That's who we are, Tony. Why keep fighting? Why stay miserable apart when we could be happy together? Life already sucks enough for us to add some extra self-inflicted pain."

Something unclenches in Tony's heart and his hand shivers. 

"I can never give up on Bucky now." He chokes out, unable to see what Steve offers, unable to accept the hard truth. "He's mine and he'll always be mine, Steve. It's too late for us."

Steve's face cringes with regrets and a glimpse of hurt flashes across his eyes. 

"I know." He says with a pained voice. "I don't want you to. Buck's part of my life, and he's part of yours. That doesn't mean we can't be together. I pushed you into his arms—"

"I was happy to fall." Tony cuts him short. 

Steve grimaces and sits back. He sighs, air blown through his nose, but keeps his eyes on Tony, staring menacingly. An unfailing determination in the eerie blue of his eyes. "I'm sorry, Tony." He says with an honest expression on his serious face. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner. I'm sorry that I didn't _accept myself_ sooner. You asked me once if you were my first. You weren't my first. I've had other alphas. Not that much but enough to know the difference. I've been claimed before Tony, but you're the only one I've wanted back. I used to blame it on the bond but it's not the bond that made me fall in love with you. It's the other way around. I _chose_ you, Tony. I chose you and I won't give up now. I'll tell you everyday if I have to."

Tony listens, flabbergasted. He doesn't know what to say, he doesn't know what to think. He doesn't know what he feels anymore. He doesn't know _how_ to feel. Steve's blue eyes are beautiful and his scent is entrancing, strong and heady, enrapturing. He feels the warmth of his words and the softness of his voice resonate in his entire body and spread like a sweet and burning fire. It must be the alcohol.

"I'm not good enough for you, Steve." He mumbles, still feeling numb.

Steve looks sad and pinches his lips angrily. "I don't need perfect. I know you're not, but you're the one I chose. And I want you and your imperfections and I think you've wanted me with mine too. You used to at least."

There is a growing lump of guilt and regret swelling in his chest and he can't breathe anymore. He lets out a shivering breath and feels tear prickle at the corners of his eyes.

Steve looks melancholic but still determined. "You know, Tony. Before I went into the ice, I was promised a dance. I never had that dance. And I—" He hesitates, voice faltering. "And I've been wanting to do this with you." He finally whispers. "I've been meaning to ask you teach me how to dance for years and I never did and you never offered and years are passing by but I don't to have regrets. I've had a second chance at life. I don't want to waste anymore time. Please dance with me."

Tony's heart clenches. Steve is so beautiful at this instant. Beautiful and strong and pride and determined. And vulnerable. And the strong urge to protect him and to indulge coils in his guts. He staggers up on his feet and offers him his hand. "Is that why I'm here?" He says with a grin. He wants to confident and reassuring but deep inside he's freaking out. He wills the tremor in hand away and reaches out to Steve. The omega takes his hand delicately and blushes adorably. 

"You know this is a very public place, babe."

Steve smiles and his features relax. Tony can smell his anxious thoughts ebbing away. His heart is beating fast and loud and Tony can hear it and feel it as if it was his own. Maybe it was. Maybe they had one heart for. Maybe that was what being bonded meant.

"I know." Steve finally says. "I don't care."

Steve's hand was clammy in his own and Tony squeezed it protectively. From this moment on, he takes the lead and shows Steve the basics before leading him to the small dancing space next to their table. Steve feels awkward and clumsy at first. He trembles a little, nervous and unsure but Tony holds him firmly against him and swirls him around skillfully until he completely relaxes in his arm. Tony can feel his heart settle and the soothing appeased omega scent envelop him like a protective blanket. They're alone in the world. alone in their nest and Tony has never been so happy before.

He has never felt so safe, grounded against the firm chest of his omega, surrounded by his warmth and with the hotness of his breath wet against his neck. His arms curl around him and hold him tight while he inhales a deep breath of his dizzying scent. 

It is glorious, this moment. They're one, heart beating in unison, scents mingling to form an indestructible wall around them. Steve's bonding gland is aching and Tony can feel it, as distinctly as one of his limbs, and he knows. He _knows_ this is for him, _only_ for him and always for him.

He presses against and he can feel his own cock jolt and harden against the omega's thighs. Steve is hard too but it doesn't matter. Nothing matters but them and what they are to each other and Tony can't suppress the tear that falls down his cheeks and he can't fight the pain that resonates in his heart and he accepts it. He revels in it. Maybe all that's happened until now what ultimately leading them to this. To this moment. Maybe this was their destiny. To be there, now, dancing together in the swirls of cigar smoke and carried away by the voluptuous jazz music. 

Tony slides his hand up Steve's hip and wanders up his chest. He unbuttons the top of his shirt and slips his hand underneath, brushing his fingers on Steve's gland. He gasps and shivers in his arms, giving himself to Tony entirely. He doesn't submit like omegas do but Tony knows he submitting right now, in the most beautiful way possible. Tony shall be no alpha if he didn't accept it and so he does and he presses his hand, hot and shivering, on Steve's bonding gland. Steve hisses a silent cry of pain and drops his head on Tony's shoulder, breathing hard against his neck. He raises his head again and rubs his face softly against Tony's temple, taking the lead in the dance. Tony buries himself in the crook of neck and inhale his scent again. So purely and gorgeously submitting. He licks the gland and nibbles at it slowly and he knows at that moment that Steve's wet for him. He can feel it and he can smell it and it's so fucking _deliciously_ arousing.

Steve's strong arms tighten around him and Tony raises his head, seeking his lips. He catches them and they kiss and it's not urgent and it's not filthy and it's not biologically necessary. It's just pure and magic and fantastic and sacred.

"I love you, Steve." He whispers on his lips. "And I'll do anything for you."

Steve smiles and kisses his lips. "Just be who you are."


	5. Loving them both

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well...
> 
> Sorry about that...

It's a weird, excruciating, feeling. 

He thought he was better than that. It used to be less lonely. He had known, from the moment he had set a foot in this tower. Before even, in the plane on his way here, when Steve's silent tears kept flowing down his cheeks. Or maybe it was out there, in the freezing cold of that disused Hydra base in Siberia, the moment their eyes met, the moment Captain America's shield broke down the armor. That moment, frozen in space, so short and infinite at the same time. It was then that he understood the invisible and yet so powerful bond that tied the omega to the alpha. Right then and there, he had known he would just be in the way.

Finding himself against has been a long and rocky path. Remembering has been arduous, painful and a constant battle with himself. Now he knows who he is, and he also knows where he stands. He is happy for them, really, he is. 

And yet he isn't.

At night he cries.

And during the day he thinks about how he could leave them be. He doesn't _belong_ here, and yet he does somehow. It's a complicated thing.

Tony and Steve fuck. The alpha and the omega... They fuck. And their bond, that invisible connection they share, is stronger than ever. The omega's bonding gland is red and pulsating all the time, to the point he can't even keep a straight mind anymore. He smells like heat and rut, although neither of them has experienced that for _years,_ and his body is permeated— _impregnated—_ with the alpha's scent.

Living with him is torture. Mental, physical and emotional torture.

He knows he should leave. He shouldn't be here... but he can't.

For three reasons he can't. The first one is, well, obvious, for legal reasons. He officially and legally belongs to the alpha. He cannot get out of the tower without the threat of spending the rest of his life in a highly-secured prison, or worse. Had he been on his own, he might have taken that risk. Tony might even be nice enough to help but there's Felicia...

And that would be the second reason he can't ever leave this place. Beyond the practical feasibility of it, this is not something he could ever do to the alpha. Felicia is his pup and he can never take that away from him. More than a legal prison, the tower is a biological and genetic prison as well. He's condemned to stay here, no matter how agonizing the pain he feels inside is.

It's not only mental or physical pain. It's not like what he has been experiencing for years. It has nothing to do with how Hydra broke him and destroyed him to the core. It's more than that. It's deeper. It's his entire being, body and soul, that suffers.

Because that the third reason he can't leave the tower anymore. He loves them. He loves them _both._ And as they are loving each other, as their connection is stronger than ever, as their bond is stronger and more unbreakable and impenetrable than ever, he loves them more.

Steve he has always loved. He knows that now. He didn't know back then, but now, when he is whole again, when he is himself for the first time in his entire life he _knows._

The connection he has with him, the love he feels for him, is mental and emotional. It's sweet and tender and deep that comes from the bottom of his heart. It reaches the core of his soul and it would never end. For life, they're connected and he knows that it's true for Steve as well. Because Steve still comes to his room at night, when he's not with the alpha, and Bucky makes sweet tender love to him and it's amazing as well as excruciatingly lonely. 

Tony he—he has _learnt_ to love. Tony made him feel like himself again. He taught him how to be _himself._ How to be omega, like he's always been but refused to before the war. Tony titillated—consciously or unconsciously... Who fucking knows?—and excited every particle of his body to the point he lost control. 

The connection he shares with him is more physical. It's primal, bestial and instinctive but no less inescapable and mind-blowing. The love he feels however is deep and affectionate and grounded. 

Bucky hadn't known he could feel that way about someone other than Steve but over the months during which they shared everything, and with the inevitable connection they have through their pup, his feelings have grown, despite himself.

And now...

And now that Steve came back, now that alpha and the omega are reunited again. Now that he has been excluded from the bond they share, he has been developing a bond of his own.

A bond that is a blessing as well as a curse.

For, _now,_ in the silence of his lonely room, when the alpha and omega fuck each other brainless, when he's left on his own with only his eyes to cry and his daughter to take care of, the alpha's pup that took life in his wombs, the one he gave birth to, on his own... his own bonding gland starts pulsating.

It was weak at first. Bucky did not pay attention then, but slowly and surely, it became stronger and more painful than ever. And now every time the alpha is around or every time he can smell his scent and every time the alpha and the omega join. The gland grows and expand and pulsates, forcing its way in his body and mind and inciting him, _pushing_ him, to join them too. 

He hasn't told anyone of course... Why would he? It's excruciating but he is strong enough, he thinks. He can love them both, from afar. He can be there for them while they indulge in the pleasure and sacrament of their bond. He will be there, even if it slowly kills him inside.

Steve and Tony are fucking again.

He knows it. He can _feel_ it. In his skin, in his bones, in his heart he can feel it. They have been at it all morning and his entire body vibrates at the thought. Felicia is sleeping and he's burning from head to toe. He locks himself in the bathroom and takes a cold shower and jerks off but it's not enough... He needs to be _knotted._

He has lost the notion of space and time when Steve comes back. He hears Felicia babbling in her crib so he gets up from the couch but never reaches the door. Steve pins him against the wall and catches his mouth before he can even realize what's happening. Steve presses against him and grinds into his hips, powerful hands on his face. His tongue forces his way inside his mouth and it's hard... It is _so_ hard for him to resist Steve right now.

The omega looks debauched. His lips are swollen, his eyes are hazy and his hair is still damp with sweat. He looks exhausted but still excited, heated and stimulated by his unending mating session, his scent mingled with the alpha's. His body is burning against him and his gaze is intense and his lips are wet and passionate. Felicia starts crying but he can't move. The omega smells like slick and cum and sex and pushes hard and holds him tight against the wall. His grip is shaking but strong. He breathes into his mouth. Bucky freezes. His dick hardens and slick starts wetting his insides, induced by the alpha scent pervading the room, everywhere where Steve has been.

"Tony needs your help. Go to his floor, now." Steve slurs, only inches from his mouth, while releasing him from his grasp.

Bucky stares at him bewilderedly. It takes him a moment to register the words. They make no sense to him. The alpha hasn't needed him for anything ever since the omega came back to live with the pack. And even before, even when he actually needed him, he had never asked for his help. His hands shake and he parts his lips helplessly, speechless. Felicia's cries intensify and his instincts call to him and he turns his head to the door, feeling the irrepressible urge to go. Except Steve's hand grabs his wrist before he can reach the handle.

"Your alpha needs you!" The omega growls. "What are you waiting for?"

Bucky freezes again. Those words reach to the deepest part of himself and he feels a wave of slick flush down. He's petrified but Felicia is still crying and... 

"I'll take care of her." Steve says softly.

What does Tony need him for?

Bucky rushes out the door without any answer to his existential question. He can't help it. If the alpha needs him then he has to go because that's what he's been programmed for, because that's what omegas do... And Bucky can't fight his instincts anymore. He's too raw. 

His mind is blank when he rides the elevator to the Penthouse. His mind is blank too, when the door opens on its own, as if he was expected. When he gets in however he is overwhelmed by a flush of emotions. It is too much, too intense, too sudden.

The entire place smells like sex, everywhere the alpha's and the omega's scents pervade, strong and heady and suffocating. They're mingled, although the alpha scent is stronger than ever and very present. Bucky's head starts spinning. He goes down on his knees and submit, head lowered down and hands behind his back. He waits.

"James?" 

The alpha's voice is so sensual, hoarse and tired but strong and comforting. His entire body vibrates at the sound. He feels heat pooling at the pit of his stomach and spread through his vein like fire.

"What are you doing here?" The alpha asks. "Did you need anything?"

His mind zeroes out in a split-second. He starts shivering. Didn't Steve say that the alpha needed him? His lips part and his entire being struggle to raise his eyes and look up to the alpha to demand answers but fails. He's absolutely unable to look up, eyes staring haphazardly on the ground. He can't move, not until the alpha gives him permission to. He's not usually like this, usually he still has some free will, but right now, this instant, under those conditions while he's frustrated and after hearing Steve's words and with the overpowering heady smell of the room enveloping him and trapping him on the floor, he doesn't have any.

He hears the step of the alpha coming closer. He has been presumably making some coffee, if the smell of it was any indicator. Not that Bucky could distinguish much of it, what with the strong odor of alpha-omega mating, but, enhanced senses and all, he can detect a tinge of the aroma underneath the intoxicating smell.

Now, he can feel the alpha's presence overhanging him. He can feel him with his soul before he can sense him physically and now the warmth of his body is electrifying. 

"You can get up, you know?" The hoarse, sensual and so very kind voice of the alpha says.

He probably could but he is unable to. With tremendous efforts he manages to raise his eyes a little but only up to the alpha's crotch. The alpha is only wearing briefs and he can see his cock grow hard, slowly pointing up and stretching out the fabric, a probable reaction to his own arousal. He can feel waves of slick soaking his shorts. His own calves are already damp and he's almost sure he's dripping on the floor already. His own dick so hard it hurts.

"Don't worry! I can control my urges, I'm not an animal... I won't jump on you." The alpha says. That's exactly what he was worried about...

He wishes he was a better man. He wishes he was a decent person. A better friend, a better omega. He's none of that. Were he all of this, he would have obeyed his alpha, got up on his feet, got the fuck away from here and locked himself up in the furthest bathroom from here to take a cold shower and jerk off on his own like he's supposed to. The only thing he manages to do however and keen desperately, thirsty and wanting. 

The alpha responds to his growing distress with gentle fingers brushing his damp hair away from his face. "What did you want, James?" His voice is husky, low in his throat. Each word are pervaded with lust.

He musters up the courage to look at him. Their eyes lock into each other. The alpha's are wanton, pupils blown out, glowing with fierce and carnal yearning. His nostrils are flaring. There is a slight tremor and tension in his jaw. He can see how the alpha is struggling to fight his instincts and control his urges. He knows Tony hates that part of himself. He hates himself too in that moment. He hates their nature and the way they always fall into the same patterns, inevitably surrendering and indulging in their basic needs.

The alpha's hand brushes down his cheek tenderly, encouraging, and lands on his shoulder, where his bonding gland is ready to explode, burning and pulsating in need.

They stare at each other and something happens. A connection. 

His lips part and he gasps. "Steve said you needed me." He whispers, voice broken and hoarse, faltering on each words.

Tony's eyes flare open and his lips part as well. A whole range of emotion shows on his face but Bucky is much too out of himself to even try to decipher them. The alpha stares at him silently, confusion growing in his eyes. He feels a tremor in his gentle hand, the one that still brushes his neck and the hover over his bonding gland.

The alpha swallows and Bucky feels another flush of slick running out of him. He whimpers. He can't control himself anymore. It feels like a phantom heat.

* * *

He's losing his mind. 

Right now, standing in the entrance of his Penthouse, only wearing his underwear. His omega is submitting to him, so beautifully he wants to cry. He can smell his slick and he's so hard he'd fuck into anything if he gave in to his clamant, indomitable urges.

How did he find himself in this situation?

He was just making coffee... He was exhausted, worn out, at the death's door. He's too fucking old for this. Steve had him knot him three times already this morning. The fact that he hasn't had a heart attack yet is a miracle.

A normal person, alpha or not, that's not even the point, would be dead asleep in their bed right now. And yet one whiff of the sweet smell of omega arousal and he's back at it like a horny frustrated teenager. Every inch of his body demands him to jump on the omega and screw him brainless, knot him again and again and again until he passes out. What is wrong with him? At his age he should need help to get a hard on already. Why does his body react so intensely right now, a slave to the omega's needs?

At this rate he will have a stroke soon, keeping a clear mind is an ordeal already. All his blood rushed down to cock. Why does it have to be a constant struggle with himself? It's even harder to resist ever since he and Steve are having sex again, as if instead of calming his urges and satiate them, having sex with Steve just awoke the beast in him and he's become an insatiable, hungry and brainless sex-addicted being.

The omega is on his knees and Tony can't even try to get his eyes away from that. His body moved on its own and his hand is warm against the burning skin of the shivering omega. The omega is _his._ _His_ to take, to fuck or do whatever he wants with. How horrific is that? He put his seeds in him and now they share something nothing can take away from them. 

Tony knows he bonded with Steve, despite either of them, and he shouldn't feel this way. He knows he's been a terrible alpha and he deserves nothing of this, nothing from him or from Steve, by the way. 

The omega looks at him, eyes pleading. His entire demeanor begs him to take him right now. He's struggling too, against their nature, Tony can feel it. He should get away from here this instant but then the omega whimpers and more than his arousal, it's his distress Tony can't turn away from. Sexual urges he can control but fighting his protective instincts to the point of rejecting comforting the omega when he is in such a state of distress, he just can't.

They're looking at each other and something happens. Tony has his hand on his bonding gland and it's pulsating, calling for him, begging to be bitten and when did that happen? When did James start to bond with him? Why? And how is that even possible? He's already bonded even if he's never actually bitten Steve. He can feel the bond in the deepest parts of himself.

Bucky loves Steve. Not him. And _he_ loves Steve. And... who does Steve love anyway?

Tony's heart is beating so fast and so hard in his chest, the arc reactor accelerates. Tony thinks his brain short-circuited. Did the omega just say that _Steve_ asked him to come here?

_What the fuck?_

"No, I—I didn't..." Tony stutters, hand shaking against the burning, wanting skin of the omega who is kneeling at his feet still. "I never said that."

Something heart-wrenching flashes through the omega's eyes. They burn with lust and pain and desperation alike. What is Steve playing at? Hasn't he done enough already? Messing them around both?

"JARVIS? Can you tell me what the fuck Steve is playing at?"

There is a moment that seems like an eternity before the AI answers. A moment during which Tony can't keep his eyes away from the omega, invisibly connected.

"Captain Rogers says he's sore and exhausted and can't take care of your needs anymore, Sir."

"What needs? I was just fine on my own making my fucking coffee, is he for real?"

"If I may suggest, Si—"

"No-one asked for your opinion, _JARVIS!"_

"Certainly, Sir."

Tony doesn't need his AI to remind him that he's on the verge to lose it and that his cock is just ready to knot, against his own free will. He's noticed that himself, thank you. The distress grows more intense in the omega's scent and Tony is... Tony is... Tony is _weak._

The omega starts crying, unwilling but irrepressible tears flowing down his cheeks, despite himself. Neither of them wants it but they both crave it with their entire being and when Tony cups his face in his hand in reassurance, the omega leans into it and then into him, instinctively nuzzling into his crotch and whimpering with want and uncontrollable need and... _Fuck!_

Tony lasted but five minutes before he came into the omega's ass and knotted him on his knees, right the floor, on that very spot he's been kneeling down, submitting to him. 

Although he can't really regret it right now, it was a very stupid idea because, now, both of them are stuck on the floor in this very uncomfortable position, knees hurting and his knot doesn't seem to want to deflate now.

Twenty minutes later, when James stopped shaking and whimpering, they can finally get free from each. No words are exchanged. James stands up on wobbling legs, pulls his soaked sweat shorts up and heads for the door.

Tony can't let him go.

This is fucked up. Everything is fucked up but he can't let him go like this. James is his omega and the father of his daughter and James was there for him all those months. He picked up the pieces of Tony's heart one by one and tried to glue them together. He was there to make sure Tony survived Steve's absence. He deserves better than a three minutes fuck and being knotted on bare knees on the hard entrance floor of the penthouse. 

He grabs the man's wrist before he starts walking away to the elevator. James stops instantly, although he could easily snatch his hand away from Tony's grasp with his super-soldier strength, and turns around slowly. He lowers his head and looks down in submission.

"Come here." Tony says softly as he tugs on his wrist to bring him closer and brings his hand to his neck, brushing softly the reddish swollen bonding gland that still pulsates eagerly for him. He pulls the omega's head down and catches his confused lips for a gentle kiss. James opens his eyes wide but lets himself being manhandled.

Tony leads him to the bathroom silently and once there he looks sternly at the omega who pouts uncomprehendingly. Tony remembers how lost he was when he first arrived in the Tower. He remembers how primal and instinctive his reactions were, how wary he was around him. James trusts him completely now. He doesn't resist him and has given himself to him entirely, like an omega should. 

Tony suddenly remembers all the things James provided him that Steve has never done.

"Stand still." He orders, although he doesn't have to because he knows the omega will do everything he wants him to in this state. He is such a good omega. Tony slowly takes his soaked sweat shorts down, making them slide over his well-rounded ass, and pulls his shirt over his head, taking in the sight of him with delight. Such a beautiful man, he thinks. The omega is gorgeous. Every inch of him is. Even his scars are.

James's grayish blue eyes twinkle with gratitude and lust alike. He keeps silent, expression almost melancholic. 

Tony brushes his lips softy over his bonding gland and plants a kiss there. The omega shivers from head to toe, body pliant under Tony's hands. He pushes into the shower and takes a gratifying pleasure washing him thoroughly, removing the slick, the sex grime and the anxiety. They both spread lather on each other now as James feels more confident and legitimate around him. This moment of reconnection is so calm and tender between them, silent, like most of their interactions have always been.

Touching each other like this feels so good and soon Tony grows hard again as he can smell the tinge of arousal spiking in the omega's scent. He wants to cherish him, his body and soul, and starts kissing him on his shoulders. He licks the gland and earns a gasp and a keening whimper. James's hands, even the metal one, tremble. His knees falter and he leans against the tiled wall when Tony starts kissing him down his chest and kneels down in front of him.

It is something he has been wanting to do for a long time. Something he loves. Something Steve rarely lets him do, because Steve prefers doing it himself. James loves when Tony looks up at him and sucks his cock however. His whole demeanor changes. He becomes confident and dares run strong and powerful fingers through Tony's hair as he swallow his erect shaft down his throat. Slick flows down his toned thighs, smelling amazing. Tony pulls his mouth away to lick it up and makes James shake like a leaf.

Tony wants to fuck him again right against the tiles but he decides James deserves a bed for their second time so he refrains until the showering session is over and James comes in his mouth. He's not worried. He knows about James's sex-drive, super-soldier and all. The omega is slick and vulnerable and so ready to take his knot again.

Good. Because Tony is already leaking. Where does his sudden energy come from? He feels ecstatic, horny and powerful, like the world is his.

He takes it slow this time, settling the omega on his knees right where he wants him. He pushes on his back gently, pressing him into the bedsheets. He slips his fingers into his twitching hole, seeking his soft spots, making him whine and jerk in pleasure. He wants to cherish him, everything he is.

When he finally thrusts into him it's slow and gentle but deep and hard. He builds their orgasm slowly, thrust after thrust, clutching so hard on the omega's hips. This time his omega cries in pleasure. This time it's not urgent and necessary. It's desired and fully accepted. It's glorious. It's magical. It's wonderful.

It's not soiled with guilt. Why is it not?

Knotting James a second time is gloriously amazing. It's mind-blowing. And Tony will knot him again, and again until both of them lose the notion of time and place.

He thinks they've been at it all afternoon, unable to let go of each other. At some point he felt the gentle hands of the omega feed him while he was still in daze, intoxicated and out of his mind. 

Now he's slowly falling into a deep slumber, lulled by the warm and comforting presence of the omega. He's finally satiated, he thinks, and his omega smells like happiness so he can let himself go. He's gonna need a whole week at least, to recover from this. He can feel his omega purring in the distance, his gentle hands are fondling him. Everything is perfect.

* * *

Bucky hasn't come down yet. It means his plan has worked. 

He was a fool to think he could have his cake and eat it. It was foolishness, to ever think he could have both of them and keep them both for himself. It could have never worked in the long term. It was meant to be.

Steve is not one to believe in destiny and yet, he can feel it in himself that they were meant to be. Him and Bucky, they were meant for Tony, all along. Both of them. Only them could ever satisfy an alpha like Tony. Only them could ever provide him everything he needed. Only Tony could ever provide them with what they needed. The three of them, they all needed each other.

He should have realized this sooner.

It doesn't matter now, because his plan worked. He couldn't stand that situation anymore. He couldn't have them both and pretend he didn't see they were miserable. He loves them so much.

It's almost eight pm. Both him and Felicia are fed and washed up, ready for bed. He's not particularly tired but Felicia needs her sleep. She hasn't asked for either of her parents. Steve is as much of a parent to her as her real parents. She's part of the pack. He's an omega of the pack. He is her sire's mate, his _bonded_ mate, even if it's not official. Even if he hasn't been bitten yet. Tony wouldn't. It's his fault.

He's feeling restless though so he asks Jarvis to check on his alpha. From what Jarvis says, everything went according to plan. He feels ecstatic. He feels so fucking _happy._

* * *

When he wakes up, slowly, tenderly. He feels in bliss. He feels a sense of fulfillment and achievement like he's never felt in his entire life before. It's mind-blowing. It's unusual but not disconcerting at all. His body is sore, somehow, but his mind is at peace and his heart is fulfilled and he feels satiated, for the first time, as if his entire life had been a long and painful starvation and he was finally able to eat to his heart content. What a strange feeling is this? Tony had never known until now how long he had yearned for this, how much he had craved for it, for _feeling_ like this. 

It takes him a moment to realize what was the comforting weight on chest but slowly and surely he takes in his surroundings and recognizes the fast beating of a small heart, sound asleep, and lulled by the humming of the arc reactor. Felicia is asleep into his arms. Her small head resting on his chest, safe and loved and protected.

He opens an eye and turns his head on the right, looking for the origin of the amazing smell that pervades in the room. The smell of happiness. On his right, resting on his shoulder, he can see a tuft of blond hair. Steve is purring against him, his features relaxed and blissed. Someone stirs and hums against his left shoulder, and nuzzles into his neck. The chestnut hair tickles him. James is purring on his left side. His smile is blissed and satisfied. Tony has never seen him smile like that before. He falls back into a deep slumber. He will need more sleep to overcome this overwhelming feeling of happiness he feels inside.


	6. Convincing Alpha...

Steve feels the two hands of the omega slide around his waist and land on his belly. Bucky nuzzles into his neck, legs cupping him from behind, fingers fondling his resolutely firm and flat belly.

He's partly horny, partly amused and his smiling breath tickles Steve's neck at first but soon, the omega's ministrations start sparkling desire through Steve's body. Bucky likes to tease and keeps kissing the sensitive skin of his neck, biting him softly, sending spikes of pleasure through him. Heat starts pooling at the bottom of his stomach. Steve gets easily hard and Bucky's grip on his hips is strong, his hands run up and down his sides, growing more intense and eager. Bucky wriggles behind him, snuggling and grinding against his back. He keeps nuzzling into his neck and Steve starts humming, getting intoxicated with the heady smell of omega arousal permeating the room. He leans into the touch and closes his eyes, dropping his head back on the omega's shoulder. He lets himself go limp into his embrace, body on fire. Bucky's hard-on is poking at his lower back.

Steve bites his lip to repress a moan when Bucky's hands are back on his belly and he nips at his neck. He licks the fresh wound afterward, sending another spike of want throughout Steve's body. 

"Get off your suppressants." He slurs into his ear. The words sounds like an order but the tone is slightly supplicant. 

Steve straightens up in a jerk. "What? No."

Bucky hums or whines, Steve is not sure, his heart is beating too fast and the shock didn't cure his boner. "Come on..." the omega pleads, "I want to see your belly grow." He adds while fondling his belly again, this time none of it is sexual.

Steve's brain zeroes out for a moment. _What?_

_"What?"_ Steve finally exclaims, out loud, because he really didn't think Bucky's motivations for him getting off his suppressants was seeing him pregnant. _"No!"_ He repeats, louder, with all his intent. He will _not_ get his freedom taken away. 

"Please, Steve." Bucky begs. And yes, he has managed to turn him off. The omega is still nuzzling against his nape but this time is more affectionate, with a tinge of despair in it. Steve can't feel Bucky's hard-on anymore but his hands are strongly splayed on his belly, determined to stay there and convince him. "I want another pup."

"Why should _I_ be the one to give birth to it?"

"Because it would be gorgeous if you were..." The omega jokes, half-serious still. 

"I don't wanna get pregnant, Buck." 

"Liar."

"I never wanted to get pregnant. I hate the thought of it. Just imagining another being growing inside me makes me feel nauseous."

"That's perfectly normal. You'll get used to them. And it's only at the beginning."

"You know what I mean, moron!" Steve chuckles, still feeling disturbed by the whole idea however. "I don't wanna procreate. I'm not that kind of omega. And you _know_ it. It's great that you found fulfillment through paternity and I'm happy for you, really, but that's not for me and it will never be. I'm not wired that way."

Bucky swallows and pauses before talking again, voice a little hoarse. "The only thing I know of is that you're scared..." he says, sounding sympathetic. "I know you've already been pregnant, Steve. Don't even think I wouldn't know about it."

The words feel like a stab in the back. Bucky must have felt his distress because he curls around him comfortingly, wrapping him in a soothing and reassuring embrace, his smell growing stronger and headier. "I promise you," he whispers softly against his ear, "that it will be different this time. Everything will go fine."

Steve feels a pang in his chest, despite himself, and represses a tear from falling down his cheek. No matter how much he hasn't wanted this, now matter how much it repulsed him then—never wanted to, always hated the idea of it—it still hurt. _Losing_ them hurt.

"I don't want to." He chokes out and it comes from the bottom of his heart. 

"I want another Pup, Steve. Please?" Bucky pleads again, this time it's verging on annoyance. Steve can hear a tinge of despair in the omega's voice. It's important to him. Steve swallows the lump in his throat and regains composure quickly, pushing unpleasant memories and forbidden feelings at the back of his mind. There are things omegas don't talk about. Bucky can probably feel his reluctance but he's still determined. "Felicia is almost three years old. She's gonna be lonely. A pack led by an alpha and two omegas should be filled with pups." He says and he's got a point, probably. But they have never formed an ordinary pack and neither of them are officially bonded to their alpha. Bucky is the only one who has some sort of legal connection to Tony. "She's gonna start school soon..." Bucky carries on, voice faltering at the end. "And what am I gonna do then? I'll have nothing. You've got your job and it's great but I'm stuck in here. For the rest of my life..."

Steve feels a little sorry for him for a moment, although he really doesn't think those are good reasons for having another pup. He listens to their heartbeat for a while, there're not synchronized for once. Weird.

"Get off your suppressants yourself then, I don't need to get involved." He finally says, sounding a little bitter. Part of him doesn't seem to like this idea either but he doesn't know why...

Bucky shivers behind him. He doesn't answer at first and then he lets out a feeble, hesitant whisper. "Don't pretend you don't know Tony would never accept that I got off my suppressants if _you_ keep taking them." He says, voice pregnant with regrets. "Don't think I haven't tried that already..." 

Steve feels warm inside his heart, filled with a weird sense of gratitude. 

"Come on, Steve." Bucky tries again. "All those years you and Tony have been fucking and you've never shared a heat with him, not even once. Don't you want that? Don't you want to _feel_ that? Even just once in your life? I _want_ to share my heats with Alpha. It's the most beautiful part of being what we are! Why would you want to deprive us from that?"

"Having heats is a hindrance, you know it as well as I do. We've always hated them..."

"Having heats is a hindrance when you're _unbonded_ but when you have an alpha, it's a fucking blessing. It'll be amazing, Stevie. Can't you see it?"

Steve can't see anything but trouble. Having heats again means living in permanent fear again. Of being pregnant, of losing control, of losing his free will, of... Of being _abused_ or taken advantage of by other alphas... Having heats again means the end of his freedom. "If we both get off our suppressants, you do realize that our cycle will synchronize? We'll have our heats at the same time!" Bucky doesn't seem to see things that way though... Maybe because he's got nothing to lose.

Bucky chuckles. "Yeah, that's the point, actually. That's even _better._ I want to share my heat with Tony, and with _you."_

"Who's gonna look after your daughter then?"

"There's Nat and Clint." Bucky replies and when Steve turns his head back, frowning at him skeptically. Bucky's face is amused. He chuckles again. "Our alpha is multi-billionaire, Stevie... I'm pretty sure finding a baby-sitter is just detail."

Steve shrugs. He's becoming short of arguments.

"You really think Tony can take care of both of us at the same time? I mean, he's... he's not getting any younger and—" He's interrupted by the brunet who wraps his arms around him tenderly and snuggles into the nape of his neck, planting soft kisses there. He can feel his tickling breath when he chuckles and shivers all over.

"Stop trying to find excuses!" The omega says in a laugh. "Tony can handle us fine. He wouldn't have bonded both of us if he couldn't. If you don't trust me, then trust mother nature, she doesn't make mistakes... I know you _know_ it, deep inside."

"Neither of us are bonded." Steve huffs out with a resigned pout.

_"Yet."_

Steve lets out a regretful sigh. It's probably his fault. It _is_ his fault if Tony hasn't bitten either of them. Tony has tried to bond with him for years... It was one rejection too many.

"You know what the real problem is?" Bucky says more seriously. "You're shitting your pants, that's all." _True._ "You're scared that it's gonna be so amazing that you're gonna love it too much and lose your own mind."

Steve grits his teeth. He suddenly feels spiteful to the other omega. "I don't know, you tell me!" He spits. "You're the only one who's had the opportunity to share a heat with Alpha. How blown was your mind then?"

The omega tenses against his back and inches back, away from Steve, loosening his embrace around him. He leans his forehead between Steve's shoulder blades. His breathing changes, his heartbeat accelerates. 

"You know perfectly well that's not what happened." His friend chokes out. "I've never shared a heat with _my_ alpha. I've shared a heat with _yours."_

Steve feels guilty. Even though he feels somehow spiteful, he didn't mean to hurt the omega and he knows it was unfair to say that and uncalled for but he can't take it back now.

* * *

Felicia is asleep and Tony is waiting for him on the couch. He climbs next to the alpha and snuggles against him, breathing in a huge whiff of his scent. He starts purring instantly and nuzzles into the alpha's neck. Tony chuckles amusedly and brings a soft hand to his cheek, gently fondling it. He let his hand roam down the alpha's chest, slipping bold fingers between the buttons of his shirt, taking them off one by one until he can slide his hand underneath and play with with hair. His hand hovers over the arc reactor, taking in the warm humming of the blue light. He brings both his knees on the couch and scoots closer to his alpha. 

The alpha hums is delight and relaxes under his touch. His arm idly surrounds his shoulders and keeps him close. He lets himself go into the comfort of his purring, reclines his head on the headrest and closes his eyes.

"Alpha..." Bucky mutters in a warm and sultry voice. 

Tony hums in response.

"Can I get off—" 

The alpha jerks his head up and brings a finger to his mouth, interrupting his request. "I know what you're gonna ask me and the answer is still no."

He pouts and nuzzles into his neck. "Please, Alpha." He pleads in a soft, soothing voice. "I want to share my heats with you."

"And you want another pup..."

"Yeah, but..."

"I'm too old, James!" The alpha exclaims. "I could be Felicia's grandad, already, that's how old I am. We can't have other pups."

He rolls his eyes but doesn't contradict him. He has learnt early in his life that contradicting frontally your alpha never brings anything good in life. He should take a more subtle approach."I still want to share my heats with you." He husks out, snuggling against him. He's sure his smell is already conveying his message clearly. The closeness between them is already making his head spin. His body vibrates against the warmth of the alpha.

Tony turns his head to him and stares intensely into his eyes. He searches something in there for a moment, keeping silent. 

"Omegas are supposed to have heats." He explains, voice pervaded with growing lust. "I want to have heats again."

Tony averts his eyes, unable to bear with the intensity of his desire. "Steve doesn't." He says with a pouty mouth. Bucky always loved this about him. Also, he had known the alpha would want to treat both of them equally.

"Steve does too." He groans. "He just doesn't know it yet. Having heats is in our nature. We should embrace them. Steve is just scared to ask you..."

The alpha parts his lips and looks bewildered. 

"Alpha..." Bucky slurs. "You're supposed to take care of us. You're supposed to make sure we're healthy, happy and protected. You can't take that away from us. I want to share my heats with you and Steve does too." Tony's mouth hangs open and his eyes are open wide, fixed in the air. He had probably never considered things from that angle. Bucky feels a bit smug right now.

At least, Tony is fully hard now. That's already a win.

He decides to drop the subject and let him mull over it. He has something else to do right now and slowly slides between his alpha's insecure legs. He's already wet but wants to be on his knees first. He needs to submit for making up for it. 

Tony lets him unbutton his pants and fumble with his fly. He spreads his legs a little but lets him handle the rest. Bucky takes a huge whiff of the alpha's scent before he frees his cock from its prison. He wants to take things slow, warming him slowly, letting him relax and maybe later the alpha will be in better dispositions for some more talking. Bucky still has a few tricks in his bag.

The only thing the alpha does while Bucky has his cock in his mouth and nurses it softly is tracing his finger around his bonding gland, making him shiver every time. It is slow and affectionate and Bucky relishes in his submission and makes it last. The alpha is too tired to deny him that and indulges him. Bucky brings him on the edge several times but stops in time and slows down. It has been a good twenty minutes he's been at it and that he's been soaking the floor with his slick when they hear a rattling noise at the door.

Steve finally comes back from his mission. 

Perfect timing, Bucky thinks. He's been keeping the alpha on edge and now he's all ready for him. He couldn't have done it any better had he actually planned this.

It's the smell that makes Steve's head jerk in their direction, he thinks. His nose flares and his eyes flickers with lust at the sight of them. He freezes, gorgeous in his grimy Captain America uniform, lips parted and unable to make a movement. Bucky knows there is a wave of slick dripping along his thigh and soiling his uniform even before he can smell it in the air. He knows the feeling too much and he knows his fellow omega too much as well.

Steve should already be on his knees right now because the alpha's stance is commanding. His scent is strong and his eyes are feral. His entire demeanor demands Steve's submission. Bucky never understood how Steve could ever resist that but Steve's reluctance to submit has always been ingrained in his entire being, regardless of his true desires. Luckily Tony knows how to handle his omega.

He growls from the depth of his throat and glares at the omega who keeps standing, frozen on his feet, soaking his pants. "Come here." He says with his most gentle voice, tilting his head on the side encouragingly.

Steve groans out keening whimper. His hands are shaky and his eyes wide open, already hazy with lust. He swallows and starts walking, trying his best to keep a steady walk while his knees are wobbling. Bucky licks at Tony's dick provocatively, to motivate him a little, eyes staring at him amusedly. The blond omega grabs his alpha's neck possessively and pulls him into a filthy kiss. Tony's hand lands on his strong, pretending shoulder and gives it a little push. Just enough to free himself from the omega's grasp. "Get down on your knees now, omega." He growls, eyes feral and dominant.

Steve instantly drops on his knees and whimpers in want. He still tries to look at the alpha but his silent glares and the nod he gives into Bucky's direction tells the omega exactly what he's supposed to do and he crawls between the alpha's legs, right next to him.

Bucky shivers from head to toe as the warmth of the omega envelops him. Their scents mingle and spike with arousal. Steve kisses him before mouthing the alpha's cock. With a gentle hand running through his damp hair, he slips his tongue into his mouth and they kiss for a moment. It's soft and wet and mellow and the alpha's scent spikes with want. The kiss ends up on the alpha's cock and they keep licking each other's tongues while lapping the hard shaft of their alpha. 

Tony growls and they both moan, losing control. The alpha is on the verge to come and took possession of Steve's throat so Bucky gets up and lets them enjoy their reunion on their own. They need it after a week of absence. 

He still looks at them from afar, leaving the door of his room slightly ajar so he can see if his plan works or not. His departure changed the dynamic between them and it's become more tender. The alpha is holding back, trying to enjoy the omega a little longer. He runs gentle fingers through his hair, tugging hard on it from time to time, to remind him who's the alpha and who's the omega, and incidentally because Steve loves it. And Steve returns the sentiment, swallowing the alpha's cock eagerly to the hilt. 

Tony closes his eyes and reclines his head as he enjoys it, cupping the omega's face so gently in his hand. He lets out an indecent moan. "Steve..." He groans and then he straightens up his head, staring right down into his eyes. Steve looks up at him and their eyes lock beautifully into each other's. It's glorious. Bucky wishes he could save this picture in his memory for the rest of his life. He can feel his bonding gland pulsate and burn in need at the purity of this moment.

"Steve..." Tony repeats, voice deep and hoarse with want. "What if I were to ask you to stop taking your suppressants and share your heats with me from now on?" Steve keens around the alpha's cock, voice muffled by the hard shaft. His entire body shudders with pleasure and desire alike. "Would you like that?"

A whole range of emotion seems to flash through the omega's eyes but Bucky can't really see from where he is. He can smell it though, the way the blond omega's scent spikes with gratitude, yearning and bliss alike.

Tony doesn't need any words from Steve to understand what the omega truly desires. Neither does Bucky. Although, he hasn't thought of the consequences of this. the alpha is so overwhelmed by the omega's reaction that he comes instantly in his mouth and is much too stunned with happiness to get out on time. He knots the omega's throat.

Steve whines, barely able to breathe like this. It hurts and tears starts flowing down his cheeks. Except those are tears of joy and gratitude... So Steve likes it, alright. Good to know... Bucky wants to cry at the beauty of this.

Tony fondles the omega's face during the entire time they're knotted. He takes care of him, reassures, _loves_ him. The way an alpha should always care for their omega. And Bucky can't keep his eyes away from them. When it's finally over, Steve properly submits and stares up intensely into the alpha's eyes, still on his knees, hands behind his back. "Yes, Alpha." He croaks out, voice broken after the wrecking of his throat, meaning it with every ounce of him.

Tony replies with a kiss.

They both have tears in their eyes and keep looking at each other lovingly. Bucky has tears in his eyes too and feels a burning ache in his neck. He closes the door with the warmth of happiness pooling in his stomach. It is a little overwhelming. 

And also, he needs to jerk off. Possibly several times. The alpha and the omega's reunion just started. Steve is going to be knotted a few more times tonight. This is gonna be a long long night. For the three of them...


End file.
